The belief that we are separate from our Source is the root of all our anxiety. Seeing ourselves as separate from God makes us "self-conscious." I often wonder if this wasn't the point of the fall from grace in Genesis--self-consciousness instead of God-consciousness. Seeing ourselves as separate from our Source, we feel naked, exposed and vulnerable. Doubt, dread and piano come. In any of its many forms, fear is a powerful emotion--every challenging, every unanticipated change is seen as a threat. Fear will cause us to shrink back from loving, trusting, creating, giving in life. Distracted by the shadows, we miss the whole point of our existence: honoring ourselves and all in creation, bringing our love and joy to the world and sharing our innate Divine energy with everyone we encounter. Love is what we come from. Fear is what we have learned. In fear, we accumulate things to provide a false sense of security. We overvalue the physical and undervalue the spiritual --the oneness of God that is us. Heart--wrenching loneliness and fear put me on a path to discovering this truth.
"I learned to fear God and grew up reaching out to a distant, punishing savior until one Sunday morning, I was drawn through the big brass doors doors of Calvary Christian Center-the Church Without Walls, where Bishop Michael A. Bates Sr. preached a sermon that world ease my suffering and change my life," reflects Karen Wright, CCCSTL- the CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS member.
"He said that with our minds we build our world, that negative thoughts create fear, anxiety, hopelessness. He declared, "GOD IS ALIVE IN YOU!" Bishop Bates' words seemed rather simplistic, but I was at the edge and not sure I could hold on. So I surrendered. That day, a deeper understanding of our existence began unfolding in me. I started testing what I had heard."
At Calvary Christian Center-St.Louis- Church Without Walls spiritual practice involves making time each day for 10-20 minutes of meditation--simply sitting in silence, listening to my breath. In silence, what's hidden in the physical world is revealed. We understand what we are growing through--and why! We see the Divine Hand always working on our behalf. Life is a journey to this truth we are born trusting. Even when it appears that things are falling apart, God is in the crisis awaiting patiently to be seen. We are being called from home to sanity, to live, love, be at peace and align ourselves with this truth: There is only One Power, One Presence, One Love. Each of us is an individualized expression of Love, the "allness" of God. This is the master principle, missed due to our illusion of separateness.
Learning to live at the pace of grace that makes space in our life for our God-life, for quiet time, clarity and balance, for wellness in body, mind, spirit and community--this is all our challenge. Inner peace and fulfillment cannot be found through stress and struggle.
Ritual is one thing; religion is another. Ceremony and our professions of faith-- they are rituals. How we live our lives moment to moment is our religion. When black faith communities gather together, we must be devoted to more than ritual and raising money. We must also raise up our children and communities that are dying outside the sanctuary doors. We are called to come to our moral senses, to love and mentor our vulnerable young to academic and social success. Can't lose a second generation-- not on our watch! This is spiritual warfare, a battle as Dr. King would say, between our higher and lower selves. We are called to stand strong for justice and in unity and love. Social justice and love--this is what Jesus lived for.
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